Four of the five U.S. senators who
are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints favor federal
funding for at least limited research on stem cells taken from laboratory-produced
embryos.

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch for several
weeks has prodded the Bush administration to authorize this type of research,
arguing it holds hope for treating such things as heart disease, multiple
sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes. His position
has been criticized by some abortion opponents who consider it immoral
to conduct research using fertilized embryos.

The only Mormon senator undecided
on the issue is Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah.

Gayle Ruzicka, president of the
Utah Eagle Forum and opponent of stem cell research, said she was "baffled"
by the senators' decisions. "These people ought to know better than to
say it is OK to kill these little unborn embryos. The fact these men are
Mormons doesn't have anything to do with it. What's right is right and
what's wrong is wrong. It doesn't make any difference what church you belong
to."

Meanwhile, Mormon church leaders
repeated Wednesday they have not taken a position on this testing, although
they said the idea "merits cautious scrutiny."

The LDS Church-owned Deseret News
went further than that, editorializing Tuesday in favor of federal funding
for stem cell research "within solid ethical boundaries." The editorial
argued federal participation will assure discoveries are shared with the
public.

Church spokesman Michael Otterson
said the newspaper's editorial does not reflect a change in the position
of the church. "The Deseret News isn't the church's official position,"
he said.

Smith, the Oregon Republican, offered
strong support for the research during a Senate hearing Wednesday.

"I believe that life begins in a
mother's womb, not in a scientist's laboratory," said Smith. "For me, being
pro-life means helping the living as well. So if I err at all on this issue,
I choose to err on the side of hope, healing, and health. And I believe
the federal government should play a role in research to assure transparency,
to assure morality, to assure humanity and to provide the ethical limits
and moral boundaries which are important to this issue."

Reid, testifying at the same meeting,
said: "Knowing that stem cells could save and improve lives in ways we
never before imagined possible, it would be unconscionable to deny our
most prominent scientists the use of federal funds for this promising research."

Crapo issued a statement saying
he could support the research as long as it doesn't involve "the purposeful
destruction of human embryos" and federal dollars are not used to finance
programs that "harvest living embryos solely for the purpose of research."

Crapo's spokeswoman Susan Wheeler
explained that if an in vitro fertilization process results in 10 embryos
and only three are needed for a pregnancy, the remaining seven could be
used for research rather than being discarded. But Crapo is opposed to
creating the embryos for the purpose of stem cell testing only. n The LDS
Church's Position:

"While the First Presidency and
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have not taken a position at this time
on the newly emerging field of stem cell research, it merits cautious scrutiny.
The proclaimed potential to provide cures or treatments for many serious
diseases needs careful and continuing study by conscientious, qualified
investigators. As with any emerging new technology, there are concerns
that must be addressed. Scientific and religious viewpoints both demand
that strict moral and ethical guidelines be followed."